Color/Appearance: When freshly cut the heartwood of Purpleheart is a dull grayish/purplish brown. Upon exposure the wood becomes a deeper eggplant purple. With further age and exposure to UV light, the wood becomes a dark brown with a hint of purple. This color-shift can be slowed and minimized by using a UV inhibiting finish on the wood. For more information, see the article Preventing Color Changes in Exotic Woods.

Grain/Texture:The grain is usually straight, but can also be wavy or irregular. Has a medium texture with good natural luster.

Rot Resistance:Purpleheart is rated as being very durable, and resists both decay and most insect attacks, though it has been reported to be susceptible to attack from marine borers.

Workability: Working with Purpleheart can present some unique challenges: if the wood is heated with dull tools, or if cutter speeds are too high, Purpleheart will exude a gummy resin that can clog tools and complicate the machining process. Depending on the grain orientation, can be difficult to plane without tearout. Purpleheart also has a moderate dulling effect on cutters.

Odor:Varies depending upon the species: most species have no characteristic odor, though some species can have a pungent scent.

Scans/Pictures: You can see from the scans below that the wood starts a dull purple, and becomes more rich and full within a few days/weeks. Upon applying a finish, the color darkens even more, to an almost eggplant purple. A special thanks to Steve Earis for providing the turned photo of this wood species.

Purpleheart (freshly sanded)

Purpleheart (three weeks later)

Purpleheart (sealed)

Purpleheart (endgrain)

Purpleheart (endgrain 10x)

Purpleheart (fininshed)

Purpleheart (turned)

44 Comments

Hello,
I am getting into the wood working scene, to start myself out I am making Pottermore wands to learn the basics on the Lathe and added detailing will be done via dremmel and hand etching. I have a big question on Purpleheart (Funny there is a wood named the same as the military honor for being wounded in the line of duty. A fitting name for such a lovely wood.) well make that two questions though the first is bigger than the second.

First up, I want to make a special wand prop for my Stepsister, the reason it’s special is one it is being made of Rowan like mine, however Rowan is not necessarily her Pottermore wand wood but Rowan is the tree of February the month both of us were born (Not to mention two of my grandfathers whom date wise surround me, My great grandfather was born the fourth, and my grandfather my dad’s dad the second, and I the third. So in honor of them and my stepsister I’m planting a Rowan at my new home as well as a oak) so that is to be the first part of the specialness the other is the wand’s core (Yeah I am a lover of authenticity even if they aren’t magic they got to have cores) is the tail feather of our pet parrot who passed away in May.

There will only ever be three props with a feather from him the one I’m making for my stepsister, one for my Stepmother as our parrot loved her the most and myself (I’ll be making Pottermore wands with their proper cores and woods the quiz says should be theirs too.) ok I’ve waffled on long enough here is the actual first question, is Purpleheart really a bad turning wood for early wood sculptors, or can it be fair so long as you turn it at low speeds (Also can anyone tell me if I have a misunderstanding on the wood being hard like Blackwood (The bagpipe favored wood) or Ironwood or am I just mixing up what I read. I know those two are so dense that they can’t float) this pertains to my stepsister’s wand as I want to make the handle of Purpleheart with a Native American totem pole inspired design since it holds a bird feather inside.

My smaller question is a bit odd but it is based off a toy I’m making also Pottermore inspired, This is a custom design Racing Broom made from Popsicle sticks (Easy source of wood for smaller projects not needing anything but sandpaper, a file or two, woodglue and a X-acto knife) and this is based off the franchise’s lore of the Nimbus 2000 broom which is according to all resources made of Mahogany (Not anything on what breed just a mahogany) so my question is “is Purpleheart substantially heavier than Mahogany, or are they around the same base weight?”

Sorry for the going off on a “History of my Life Part. lost count” I tend to talk and type a lot more openly and fluidly when I take my prescription pain medicine, I have no clue why but it does and well it’s good for being a comic story writer but not so much a question blessing.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone even those in the UK and beyond just have thankful moments no need for a Turkey Thanksgiving is more Familyday if you ask me.

Take care and watch your arms if you go shopping in the states tomorrow evening and Friday,
Joey Tripp Nimmo

Thoughts as to whether this would be feasible to make a kazoo and whether there are thoughts on what sealant would be best to maintain colour if so – I’m guessing beeswax wouldnt provide much resistance to preventing colour change?
Thanks, George

I have used Purple Heart many times and it is a beautiful wood however I do not recommend using a router on it because it has a great chance of tearing out. It is just one of those types of wood that has plenty of beauty but can be hard to work with.

None that I’m aware of. I have used it several times in cutting boards. Just make sure to clean any edges you’re going to glue up with acetone to remove any surface oils. I attached one of my latest projects. Also, be sure to add a coat of food safe finish to it. Butcher block oil from Lowes is good and normally what I use.

Unfinished work in progress. Here you can see the Purple Heart has lost quite a bit of color from all the sanding. I will leave halogen lights on it overnight and the color will return and then I will Lacquer it. https://www.westernrevival.net

A company located in Brazil https://www.madeireirauliana.com has production with this lumber to Caribbean. A picture of slab doors made with Purpleheart, It´s a really exotic wood, stable , very , very hard and density ! One door constructed of Purpleheart, it will be impossible to be broken up, a very strong wood.

I had some barn-board remnants that due to weight I thought were oak. After planning I was stunned to discover they were purpleheart (didn’t know that wood even existed). No idea how a barn constructed of this materials existed over 100 years ago in Wisconsin. I made a hallway/couch table out of it – 5.5 ft by 14 inches x 36 inch high. I used General finishes water-based poly with UV protection:

I made a strat body out of purpleheart. The board I found was the only one big enough for a one piece body. It was kind of brown, not very purple. When I had finished sanding it, the sun broke through just then, into the basement where I was working. I took the body over to see it in the sunlight. It started turning into a beautiful purple from the light. I ran out side to expose it to the sun, and the whole body turned purple in seconds.

I have been making kitchen cabinets with it on our kitchen remodel. This has been my first attempt at cabinets, made a few mistakes on the face frame but where fixable, just finished 4 of the doors and they have turned out beautiful. I couldn’t find a match for the inserts so we decided to go for a smoked glass.

I have been trying to figure out how to make my drawer fronts and know they will have to be out of solid wood with routering detail. I have gone with a mitre instead of the shaker style.

Could someone let me know how long term a glued face would be or if they should be solid. I can get whatever width I like.

Found a local guy , Don Mitchell, BC Canada at a farmers market, My wife saw a beautiful jewelry box he had made it was the first time we had ever seen this wood, the box is exquisite. He made it out of 4-5 different tropical woods but the Purple Heart made it a very beautiful anniversary gift.

Draconacae Draconus Acerphyla. The Maple-Leaf Dragon. I made a few
boxes with dragons on them. One of my classmates from high school
wanted one. He said “you choose the wood, you choose the dragon” So
this is what came out. Hope you like it!

Although severe reactions are quite uncommon, Purpleheart has been reported as a sensitizer. Usually most common reactions simply include eye and skin irritation. Purpleheart has also been reported to cause nausea. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information.

I just purchased a ring with Purple Heart Wood “stone.” I have already put my hands in water more than once, forgetting I was wearing Wood. Probably a very bad idea. What suggestions do you have for how to best protect the Wood? Occasionally rubbing it with some kind of oil?

check out this page and look up “Purple Heart” I would say you could get some nasty splinters from this.

as for decking i do not know for sure. Short answer: NO!! My answer would be from my experience in handling it for inlays. The wood is VERY hard and BRITTLE.

fastener holes should be pre-drilled for screws or nails and the fastener should slide through easily. Countersink as well. screws should not be torqued very high as the screw head will create lateral force and split the wood. Keep screws at least 1.5 to 2 inches away from very end for same reason. More might be better.

I’m not saying it would not be a good deck, but to me would be very expensive. Can’t beat it for decorative pieces.

I’m not the last authority on the subject though so keep looking til you get several opinions supporting one side or the other.

Draconacae Draconus Acerphyla. The Maple-Leaf Dragon. I made a few boxes with dragons on them. One of my classmates from high school wanted one. He said “you choose the wood, you choose the dragon” So this is what came out. Hope you like it!

I have been making Intarsia for 17 or 18 years and it is a great wood, especially if you are making something to do with grapes, and since I use a band saw with 1/8th” blade, it cuts quite easily for me.

I do chip carving (art/designs on wooden products). My daughter gave me a purple heart board to work with. Though the wood is extremely pretty, it is one of the most difficult to work with. At times when working (cutting into the work) with my chip carving knife it sounds like cutting into metal. My actual times to complete a project expanded from 3 to 4 times the effort compared to the same project on Bass Wood or Tupelo. I have other wood carver friends that refuse to work with Purple Heart because of the extra effort involved. I personally think the extra effort is worth it, for the results obtained.